All's Fair in Love
by i take people's whits
Summary: Four years after winning the war, Harry and Hermione are in a secret relationship that they've managed to keep hidden. Life couldn't be better, but all of it hits the fan when Harry get's assigned a trainee from the Deatheater Rehabilitation Program. Relationships are tested, loyalties change, and hidden feelings are revealed. HG/HP, HG/DM, HP/HG/DM
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I have zero rights to the wonderful Harry Potter series. I just enjoy taking the characters out for a spin.**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

"Harry… Harry, stop. Harry!"

Hermione couldn't hold back the childlike giggles anymore as her boyfriend ghosted kisses across her abdomen, his bangs trailing along as well. He knew she was ticklish there, just as she knew he wouldn't stop until she fell apart. Harry stopped his assault on Hermione's stomach just long enough to glance at her over the rim of his glasses. His vision was blurred but he could make out her smile as she tried to catch her breath from laughing. He grinned at her cheekily when she looked down at him.

"No, I don't think I will." And he dove right back into kissing her, tracing his fingers up her sides to tease her further.

"Wai—" her protest dissolved into another fit of giggles and continued until she finally managed to grasp his head in her hands and haul him up to face her. He hovered over her for a second before lowering his body onto hers to secure her to the bed they were lying on.

"You, Mr. Potter," she chided him, "are not playing fair."

He grinned at her again, his green eyes sparkling with mirth, "All's fair in love, Hermione."

With that he dove in for a kiss, his lips meeting hers with practiced ease. Hermione moaned quietly and he took advantage and teased her tongue with his own, drawing sighs of happiness from the witch beneath him. Her hands went to his already messy hair and mussed it further and he groaned into the kiss as she raked her nails lightly across his scalp.

He broke their kiss abruptly, "Merlin, woman! You're going to make me late!"

"So be late," she said without remorse.

Harry groaned again, dropping his head into the crook of her neck and inhaling the scent of his witch,. She smelled as she always did, lavender and vanilla; a combination which he found intoxicating. He placed a kiss on her neck and another on her chin before hauling his head up to meet her gaze. Her eyes had darkened with want and he just about gave into her desires. With a sigh he hung his head and tried to ignore her hands that had slipped to his back to trace patterns there.

"I can't be late today. We've got new recruits coming in and I have to be there for the assignments."

He kissed her nose and forced himself to roll off of her and stand from their shared bed. He chuckled at her grumbles and leaned down to kiss them away. She huffed a little when he pulled away before she could deepen the kiss and while he wanted nothing more than to hop back into bed with her and ravish her until her screams of pleasure left her hoarse. He turned away, lest he give into this thought, and pulled a pair of boxers on and quickly followed with a pair of pants. He felt her gaze and glanced over to see her eyeing him unabashedly.

"You should definitely be late today."

He smiled at her, "I can't believe Miss Hermione Granger is encouraging me to be late. What happened to Little Miss Punctual?"

"Screw being punctual, get your perfect ass back into bed and have your way with me."

Harry closed his eyes, willing his growing erection to go down. She was purposefully pushing his buttons in just the right way this morning. Damn her mouth. With a ragged exhale Harry shook his head and met her gaze again.

"The Minister insisted that I be there this morning and – yep I'm late." He said looking at the clock.

He spun around and dashed into their closet to grab and shirt and his robes before he hurried back to her side. He kissed her quickly and ran for the bedroom door so he could head to the fireplace to floo into work. He turned around with a handful of floo powder and caught a glimpse of Hermione clad only in her red lace knickers.

"This isn't over Harry! I'll get what I want sooner, rather than later!"

He smiled knowing he'd have a 'meeting' later today and shouted his destination. The floo system opened and promptly deposited him at the Ministry of Magic. He pulled on his Auror robes, straightening his hastily thrown on dress shirt. His hands went to his hair as he approached the lift, but it was a lost cause as he attempted to smooth it down. Bedhead plus Hermione just ensured that his normally unruly hair would be even messier than normal. He grabbed the handle of the lift as it took off, holding on for dear life as it went about its usual insanely jerky path before stopping at his floor. He stumbled out and hurried into the main Auror office, calling out responses to his coworkers who greeted him. He couldn't get into the meeting room fast enough as he saw through the glass that Kingsley had already begun talking. He opened the door quietly and slipped into the room, sidling along the back row of standing Aurors. He came to a stop next to Oliver Wood, who grinned and shook his head.

"Way to go, Potter."

"Shut it Wood. What'd I miss?" he kept his tone low, not wanting the Minister to notice his late arrival.

"Kingsley told us that two of our new recruits are from the probation program and he's already picked their partners. It's strange that he's not letting us pick like he usually would."

"No kidding. I don't envy whoever gets them."

Oliver shook his head and refocused on the Minister who was about to announce who was assigned to the two probationers. Harry sent his gaze up front as well just as Kingsley's booming voice made the announcements.

"Harry Potter! Your trainee is Draco Malfoy!"

Anything else the Minister said was muffled as a platinum blonde head swiveled, looking around the room for his assigned mentor. His silver eyes landed on Harry, his expression one of indifference as Harry tried his best not to grimace. His life was about to get a lot more difficult.

Hermione couldn't believe it. He got her all riled and ready to go with that wake up and basically ran out of their bedroom to go to work. She scoffed and pressed her lips together and threw off the covers, mumbling under her breath.

"I don't think so."

She hurried to the door and into the hall, catching his eye just as he stepped into the fireplace. Ignoring her half-nakedness, she all but shook her fist at him as she yelled, "This isn't over Harry! I'll get what I want sooner, rather than later!"

He grinned and was gone in a flare of green flames. She huffed and crossed her arms over her bare chest before going back into their room to grab a shirt. She settled on one of his casual button ups and after putting it on, made her way into the kitchen to put the kettle on. She hummed as she filled the pot the muggle way, some habits die hard, and glanced at the clock on the stove. It read 9:16 and she chuckled when she realized that Harry himself must have missed waking up on time, but still took the time to rouse her before he left. She sighed as she gathered the necessary items for her tea before sitting down to wait for the water to heat. Her mind wandered to where it normally went in the morning, her and Harry's relationship.

So much had happened with the war and the aftermath of it. Losing Ron to some Snatchers hurt both of them so deeply that it had made the months after strained. The horcruxs were no easier to find and their minds had been clouded by grief. They had truly found each other during that time. The grief was the excuse they needed to finally turn to each other. Harry had been holding back to give Ron his chance but Hermione had grown tired of waiting. It didn't seem disrespectful to Ron's memory, just natural.

Hermione wondered when being with Harry became so complicated. She supposed it was when the war ended and they decided to stay together, but she had wanted to keep it a secret. It was selfish, but she didn't want their relationship splashed across the Daily Prophet by Rita Skeeter and twisted into something impure when they would drag Ron's name through the mud. Hermione sneered at the thought of the vile woman just as the kettle began to whistle. She fixed her tea and made her way to her home office that she used the second bedroom for.

The light filtered through the sheer silvery blue curtains that framed the double window. A long, waist high table that was set against the left wall was lined with various potions in different stages of completion. Notes on said potions littered the table, each carefully noted and organized in a way only she understood. She bypassed her potions station to go to a smaller desk that sat in front of the window. Her desk held book after book on practical magic. Hermione had devoted herself to creating ways to protect the helpless and that meant creating spells and potions for practical use that everyone could use. Her most recent book, _Theory to Practice: A Step-by-Step guide to the Use of Offensive Light Magic_ , was already in the works to be integrated into wizarding schools around the globe. She was proud of her work. The potions she was working on were going to be featured in her next book, _Potent Potions: Everyday Potions for Protection_. One could never be too prepared. She had learned that the hard way during the war.

She sat at her desk, outlining the latest chapter for her book when a series of alarms began to go off indicating that one or more potions needed tending. She had charmed each cauldron to glow when the next step was needed. Some were simple, some complicated, but all created by her. She added the powdered scarab to the blue potion, stirring seven times clockwise and seven times counter clockwise. It turned green and began to boil so she adjusted the heat so that it would simmer slowly. A quick glance at the other potions told her that none would need her attention for a few hours. After making the necessary notes to that potion's logbook, she turned away. Hermione hummed lightly and made her way back to her desk to continue outlining her book.

Hours later and two chapters down, Hermione set her quill aside and stretched. She stood from her chair and hurried into the bedroom to change her clothes. Chuckling to herself she searched for the matching bra that completed the set that the underwear that she wore went with. Harry loved the red set more than any other in her collection. She let out a victorious shout when she found it and put it on. Now she just needed that slinky black dress she wore on their last anniversary. Harry hadn't made it through dinner with that one. She grinned mischievously when she found the strapless number and slipped it on. Cloak, cloak, cloak, where was her cloak?

She found it laying on the couch in the living room and pulled it on after she slid into her favorite pair of high heeled boots. Buttoning up the cloak to conceal the dress beneath it, she stepped into the fireplace and shouted out her destination. She landed at the Ministry and brushed the soot from her cloak. This part of her relationship with Harry was stressful and exciting all at the same time. While they didn't want the wizarding world to know that they were a couple, they still would show up in public as friends. Luckily she could use research for her books as an excuse to visit the Aurors, what with them being the most knowledgeable about offensive spells and even potions. She marched to the lift with determination, nodding at the greetings given by the random passer-by. She took the lift to Harry's floor and stepped off when it stopped. Luckily the Auror office tended to be emptier later in the day as Aurors were called out to help the public.

She breezed into the office, not bothering to take in her surroundings as she focused on the hallway leading to private offices. Third door on the right down the hall, his name was written in gold on the dark wood. Hermione put on her most seductive grin, knocked once, and opened the door without waiting for a response.

Files. Potter had him sorting through hundreds of files. Did no one in the damn office ever do any of their own filing or did they just throw them all into this pile. He was beginning to make some headway though, the stacks growing smaller as he sorted them by hand, having been forbidden to use his wand. Potter mentioned something about building patience. What the fuck ever. All he was learning was how much he hated files. The door to the office swung open for what seemed like the thousandth time this morning, Draco couldn't stop the reaction of checking to see who was coming through it as the reaction was built up from the war. Holy hell. No, it couldn't be. Surely all this filing was making him see things, see anything but fucking files. He shook his head quickly, making sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, and watched her walk quickly to the hallway leading to the senior Auror offices.

He stood swiftly and followed silently, almost in a daze. She looked exactly the same as the last time he had seen her, when she testified at his trial. She hadn't met his gaze then just as she hadn't now, but he knew it was her. She had tamed her curls, but they were longer now. She still had the same air of confidence that winning a war and being the heroine of said war had given her. She held herself with pride and determination. He peeked around the corner in time to see her knock on the third door down and let herself in. He scooted silently down the hall, counting the doors until he reached the third one. He'd seen the seductive smile she put on her face before entering and now understood the determination in her walk. He stopped at the door and when he read the name he couldn't believe how the entire wizarding world didn't know. He had just witnessed Hermione Granger walk into the office of one Harry J. Potter if the name on the door was anything to go by.

Oh, this little bit of information was just too good to pass up.

Draco smiled, feeling like a Slytherin for the first time since the war as a plan began to form in his head.

 **Let me know what you think. Read, review, follow, favorite. Don't judge some parts too harshly, most questions will be explained in further details in later chapters. Patience dear ones. Just be glad you're not filing hundreds of files. Any mistakes are mine as I don't have a beta! I hope you liked Ch. 1.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everyone who took the time to follow/favorite/review! It means a lot that someone besides me enjoys the little idea that has been rolling around in my mind for quite a while. I'm going to do my best to update this story on a regular basis. This story will have quite a few pairings; from Draco/Hermione, Harry/Hermione, to even a little Harry/Hermione/Draco. If you don't like it, or can't handle the concept of one or more of these pairings then feel free to just click that little back button and not read my story. If a little thing like a story not being your cup of tea is enough to upset you to the point that you consider the whole effort of clicking on my story to read a chapter to be a waste of time, then don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you. (That was me being intentionally rude.) Ok!? Ok. If you're a pleasant reviewer, then please disregard my rudeness.**

 **Everyone else, enjoy Chapter 2!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I own nothing or else the pairings would have turned out quite differently.**

Harry was focused on the mountains of paperwork on his desk. As exciting as it was, being an Auror, there was also a huge amount of paperwork that had to be done to go along with each case. To think he used to make fun of Hermione for all the work she did in school and here he was doing tons of work on a daily basis. At least now he had someone to do all the filing for him, not that he was happy to have Malfoy around. Of all the people the Ministry could assign to him, it had to be that git. Malfoy had been quiet though, even when he had assigned him with filing duty. There hadn't been any sneers or snide comments. It was only day one though. Just wait until Hermione found out tonight. Harry chuckled a bit to himself imagining her reaction. He imagined it would be somewhere along the lines of stunned disbelief. She would, however, preach to him the merits of such a pairing and how it would further advocate the use of the Deatheater Rehabilitation Program. He smiled thinking of her lecturing him, much like she used to lecture him on the merits of schoolwork a Hogwarts. Some things never changed.

He trudged through his work, filling out form after form about his most recent case. It was a kidnapping gone awry; the kidnapper had used _stupify_ and caused an Auror who rounded a corner at the wrong time to fall out a window ending up in St. Mungos. Harry and his team of Aurors had caught the kidnapper and rescued the child he had taken; a young boy that the man was convinced was his no matter how much his former girlfriend denied it. His subordinate would live, but fixing bones was never quick and painless, much less fixing a hip. Harry grimaced, thinking of his own bones that had been repaired by magic. While it was quick, sometimes the pain made him rethink the choice.

He finished with the paperwork, shoving it aside after putting it in its appropriate file. He sat back in his chair and sighed just as his stomach began to growl. Time for a bit of lunch he supposed. He was just turning to stand from his chair when a knock sounded and someone entered before he could call out. He sat back and smiled when he saw it was Hermione, no doubt here to collect on her promise. She was smiling saucily and was already unbuttoning her cloak.

"Hermione."

"Harry."

Her cloak dropped to the ground and he inhaled sharply at the sight of her in his favorite dress. He loved the way it hugged her curves and showed just enough off that skin that his need to divest her of her clothes skyrocketed. She stayed by the door, the cloak pooled around her feet as he rose and was around her desk and in front of her in no time. She eyed him through her lashes and he brought his hand up to grasp the back of her head while the other pulled her hips to meet his.

"You come here in this? While I'm at work where anyone can see?"

"I already used _muffliato_ , so we don't have to worry and no one can get past my locking charms."

He tilted her head up, pulling her closer, his lips grazing hers lightly causing heat to flare in her eyes. "You're not making this a fair fight."

Her words brushed her lips against his as she snaked her arms around his neck, "You said it earlier Harry, all's fair in love."

His lips slammed into hers, making her gasp which he immediately took advantage of by massaging her tongue with his. She mirrored his movements, joining the battle for dominance and threading her fingers into his hair, pulling lightly. He pulled away groaning and went for her neck, leaving a trail of open mouth kisses as he went lower to her collar bone. Hermione's breath came in gasps as her skin blazed a trail the followed his mouth. She allowed him to push her against the door, raking her nails down his scalp as her hands went downward in search of buttons. The man had entirely too many clothes on. He chuckled against her neck, where he was in the process of leaving love bites as he liked to do. She moved her hands lower and gripped both sides of his shirt before ripping it open, sending buttons flying. He started to pull away to protest, but she took advantage of him raising his head and captured his lips again. She kissed him hard, pulling his lower lip into her mouth with her teeth. He growled and went back to her chest, his hands going to the back of her dress searching for a zipper. She was pulled from the door and he lifted her up so she immediately wrapped her legs around him. He carried her to his desk, scattering the files and paperwork onto the floor. The open inkwell on his desk tipped over, but didn't spill because of a charm that made it unable to spill.

Hermione smiled when he finally found the zipper he was looking for and he quickly pulled her dress down and stopped to take her in, humming in appreciation when he saw her Gryffindor themed lingerie. She took advantage of his appreciation to unzip his pants and push them off his hips and down his legs while he reached around and unclasped her bra, pulling it from her arms and tossing it aside. Harry trailed a hand up her leg, his hand ghosting over the inside of her thigh and dodging her heated core purposefully making her groan in frustration.

Hermione's frustration leaked into her voice, "Harry… you better get inside me before I hex you into next week."

He smiled, "A little impatient aren't we, Hermione?"

He yanked her panties down and pushed her dress up. She palmed his erection through his boxers; her stroking making him harder than before if that was possible. She pulled down and he was free, standing at attention and ready for her. She grasped him firmly and he hissed in response, his head rolling back as his eyes closed. She managed a couple strokes before he pulled her hand away as he kissed her again. He picked her up off the desk and spun her around quickly, bending her over the desk. He stroked her heat with his fingers before pressing one into her center feeling her wet heat that was quivering with anticipation. Hermione began to stand, but he pushed her back down and kept a hand on her back, effectively pinning her to the desk.

"Merlin Hermione, you're so wet today."

Hermione growled, "Harry!"

He removed his finger and entered her abruptly and she cried out as he filled her. His thrusts were quick and hard, just what Hermione wanted. His rough handling had her coming quickly, her cries filling the office. Hermione was still tingling from her first orgasm when Harry pulled out, and lifted her from the desk. She came out of her daze as he spun her around and laid her back on the desk. He thrust into her again, bending over to lay kisses on her neck. One hand gripped her hip, holding her in place, while the other came up to massage her breasts, tweaking her nipples. She arched into him as his pace slowed and then increased before slowing again. He was driving her crazy and he knew it, just as she loved every second of it. He moved his mouth to her left nipple and took it, swirling his tongue around it. She gasped out his name and his pace sped up.

"Fuck, Hermione…"

"Harry… Harder!"

He moaned but complied, both hands going to her hips to anchor her to the desk as he pounded into her, the slapping of flesh echoing through the room. She could feel her release building again, each movement he made hitting deep in her core sending shockwaves of pleasure through her. Hermione thrashed her head from side to side as Harry's pace became erratic as he neared his release again.

"So close!" She was chanting his name now, like a prayer.

He was grunting with effort, trying to hold back until she came again. He reached down to rub the little bundle of nerves and she came apart for the second time. Harry followed soon after, grunting as he spilled himself deep inside her. Harry collapsed on top of Hermione, panting with effort. Hermione wrapped her arms around him, rubbing soothing circles on his shoulders. Her hands moved to his face and she lifted it so she could pepper it with kisses. He smiled and slid out of her, standing before pulling his boxers and pants up. Hermione sat up and grabbed her wand to cast a quick _scourgify_ on herself before standing and righting her own clothing. She turned to have Harry zip her up and he complied, kissing the nape of her neck before she dropped her hair back down.

She turned to face him with a satisfied smile on her face. "Well. We can't very well let you go back to work without a shirt."

Harry looked back to the door, striding over to grab his shirt and her cloak. He shrugged his shirt on and held his arms out to his sides, "Someone decided they were too impatient for buttons today."

Hermione chuckled, knowing he just wanted her to fix it instead of himself. She cast _reparo_ and the buttons flew from across the room to right themselves on his shirt. He began buttoning it up but stopped when she reached him and slid her hands across his abs and around to clasp them behind his back. Hermione stood on her tip toes and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, mumbling a quick apology for ripping the buttons off of his shirt. He kissed her back to forgive her and handed her the cloak. She went to put it on but paused to look around the room.

"Have you seen my bra?"

"On or off of you?"

She smacked his chest with a scoff, "It's wherever you threw it you sex crazed maniac."

He pretended to shrink away her hit and used wandless magic to summon Hermione's bra to him. He caught it as it came rushing to him. She went to grab it from his hand but he raised it higher over his head, just out of her reach. At 6 foot, he wasn't the tallest out there, but he towered over her 5'2" frame.

"Give it back!"

He faked a thoughtful expression before grinning playfully, "No, I don't think I will."

"Harry!" She jumped in a feeble attempt to grab it out of his hand until he vanished it. She sighed with exasperation, rolled her eyes and kissed him once more before sliding around him to unlock the door. She turned around and put on her cloak, buttoning it up. She pulled him down and kissed him hard one last time.

"I'll see you when you get home." And she slid out the door.

Draco waited and waited and waited. He had tried to listen at the door, but the incessant buzzing in his ears informed him that silencing charm had been placed. He had no choice, so he was back to the damn files while he waited. Without keeping exact time he estimated they had been in there for close to 40 minutes now. Just how long did a quickie at work take for those two? He growled in frustration and had to resist the urge to throw files across the room. Just as he raised his hand to pitch the one in his hand she breezed by the workstations in the main office. Her hair was slightly disheveled, as though she had tried to smooth it down and he would bet money that based on the bounce in her step she wasn't wearing a bra. Interesting. The couple love bites he could see were poorly concealed as well. He went to get up and follow her, but right as he started to stand a levitating stack of files dropped into his lap, knocking him back down. She was out the door and out of sight before he recovered. Fucking files. He'd have to do some spying and find out more before he moved on this anyway. He gathered the files and dumped them in the unsorted pile and slouched in his chair. Four more hours of this before he could go home. For the millionth time today he wished for his want and turned back to the files. He picked up the first one but gladly dropped it when he heard Potter calling his name, asking him to come into his office. Anything to get away from these files and besides, Draco's signature smirk made its way across his face, maybe he could get some information on what he just semi-witnessed. He left his desk and the files behind and headed for Harry's office.

 **Alright lovelies, there's chapter 2! Read, review, follow, favorite. I hope you enjoyed the second chapter, I enjoyed writing it. I've always loved Harry and Hermione as a couple and wished they had ended up together in the books. Draco and Hermione is always a fun read though for those who love a bad boy, which let's face it, most of us do lol. I hope you enjoyed it and I'll update as soon as I can!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wands away everyone! No hexing me for taking so long, lol. I do apologize and will do my best to get the next chapter out to you much quicker. Thank you for all the follows, favorites and reviews! Every notification I get makes me excited and encourages me to write. Keep 'em coming!**

 **Disclaimer: Why must I keep doing this? I don't own it, ok!?**

Harry's door was ajar when Draco approached it, allowing him to enter unannounced. Harry sighed at Draco without looking up from the papers on his desk. "Take a seat, Malfoy."

Draco did so and waited while Harry scribbled quickly on the parchment in front of him and then began shuffling papers around his desk in what looked like an effort to organize a mess. He gave up after his efforts proved futile and rolled his eyes while mumbling under his breath. He sat back and finally met Draco's eyes. Draco shifted uncomfortably as Harry continued to stare at him. The time drug on as the two former enemies eyed each other.

"Staring at me won't make me disappear, Potter."

Harry shook his head, "I just can't believe that of all the people they choose to stick me with, it had to be you. Why do you keep popping up in my life?"

"I hardly chose to 'pop' up in your life, this is where the Ministry decided to stick me. They did some sort of aptitude test after the trial and this is what they said I qualified for."

"That's all good and well, but it this whole situation is still insane."

"I couldn't agree more, and yet, here we are." Draco spread his arms as if gesturing towards something grand.

Harry grimaced but nodded his head once in agreement. He sighed, "We'll just have to make the best of this. Now with normal trainees, they go through a sort of introductory period where they do our office work for a few weeks before going on a mission with their mentor. You however, since you're a reformed Death Eater, will be doing things a bit differently. You'll have a week of testing to see just where you are with the skills necessary to be an Auror and then we go into the field on some of the more simple runs in addition to the office work. Now obviously you have a knack for dealing with anything that has to do with dark magic, but what would you say is your strongest skill."

Draco snorted, "What? You didn't read my file? I'm sure everything you need to know is in there."

Harry leaned forward and lifted a stack of papers to pull a file with Draco's name scrawled across the top on it. He pulled it out from the mess and slapped it down on top. "Of course I have your file, but files tell me what the Ministry says, not what you say. So spill it Malfoy. I haven't got all day."

Draco looked away, anywhere but at Harry's face. His eyes strayed to the corner behind Harry's desk on the left. A small corner shelf was littered with books and magical devices, Draco spotted a Rememberall, as well as some photos. His eyes tightened a bit as he saw a photo of the Golden Trio at some sort of party that must have been before the war. Harry was in the middle with his arms draped around both of his best friends and they were smiling. Another photo revealed two people who had to be his parents, the black hair was unmistakable on the man in the photo, as well as another of Harry with Draco's cousin, Sirius. The last photo was of Harry and Hermione by themselves, which Draco assumed was taken after the final third of their trio had died.

He raised his head a bit and turned his attention back to Harry, "Do you miss Weasley?"

Harry's eyes widened a bit before looking confused, "Pardon?"

"Do you miss Weasley, Potter?"

"Of course I miss Ron. Not a day goes by where I don't think about him. I'm not sure where you're going with this Malfoy, bu—"

Draco cut him off, "Do you still have a good relationship with Granger?"

Still confused Harry hesitated before answering, "Yes."

"Do you see her often?"

Harry's eyes hardened as he immediately went on the defensive, "I see her enough. Nothing in my personal life is any of your business Malfoy. Your life, however, is up for scrutiny. Now answer my question or you'll be stuck with janitorial duties for a month."

Draco frowned, "I'm good with potions. I saw her leaving the office earlier. I'm assuming she was here to see you."

Harry glared at him, "Hermione comes and goes as she pleases, our work overlaps from time to time. As her best friend, she tends to go through me when she's looking for information."

Draco quirked the corner of his mouth triumphantly, Gryffindors were so easy to predict after all. Ruffle their feathers just a bit and they rise to the bait. "So I can expect to see more of her then?"

Harry scowled at the blonde across from him, "You're not going to bother Hermione, Malfoy, ever. If you do see her, you won't speak to her, you won't look at her wrong, you won't even think anything nasty about her."

"So protective, Potter."

"With every right. You were a terrible person in your youth and most likely still are. I won't have you upsetting the one person in my life that I truly care about."

Draco scoffed, internally chuckling with how easy it was to get information out of Harry. With the right bait, the man would spill any secret. The Aurors were obviously lacking when it came to wizards who could talk their way out of anything, into anywhere, and wrangle information out of people. It was pitiful really. "You act more like her boyfriend than you do her best friend."

Harry froze for a second at the words and his left eye twitched, but nothing else gave Draco any indication of information that would be usable. "I'd say I have an obligation to my best friend; an obligation to keep those with ill intent away from her."

Draco scoffed, "If I had ill intentions, I wouldn't be asking questions."

Harry shook his head and gathered his thoughts, "We're not discussing this anymore. What else are you good at?"

"Dueling."

Harry sighed and stood from his chair. "Well at least you'll be of some use if we get into a spot out there. Come on. We've got to get you to your first test."

Harry strode past Draco to the door, opening it and exiting without making sure that the blonde was following. Draco stood to follow and glanced around the room quickly for signs of Hermione's visit to the office. Other than Potter's hair being slightly more disheveled when he first assigned Draco to the file work, there was no sign. More than likely, Granger had cleaned up the mess just as she had been doing when they were all still at Hogwarts.

Harry flooed home later than he normally would have that day. Malfoy had taken to the tests with ease and had proved that he was a competent wizard leading Harry to agree with the Wizengamot's choice in placing him in the Auror division. His interest in Hermione had been puzzling and disturbing, however, and he had kept up the needling questions about Hermione for the rest of the work day. Harry shook the soot out of his hair and mumbled a quick cleaning spell to remove the ashes from the floor. He heard Hermione humming in the kitchen and smelled hints of beef in the air. He made his way to the room and leaned against the opening to watch Hermione dance around the kitchen to the tune she was humming. During one particularly artful twirl he grabbed her extended hand in his and pulled her to him. She gasped lightly but it turned to a chuckle when he wrapped his free arm around her and smiled.

"I'm home love."

"Welcome home Harry."

She smiled up at him and he leaned down to kiss her hello. His hand, still holding hers, pulled it to his chest and over his heart while the other traced upwards to the back of her head. She grinned into the kiss and pulled away slightly, their lips still whispering against the other, "How was work?"

He pulled away further, dropping the hand behind her head to her hip, "Hmm. There was one part of it that was good." He tilted his head thoughtfully and grinned.

She raised an eyebrow at him and smirked, "Oh really now? And what part might that have been?"

"Well, I had this really great sandwich for lunch you see—Hey!"

She had smacked his chest, pulling her hand from his, "You're awful Harry Potter."

He smiled as she crossed the kitchen back to the stove and pulled the bread from the oven with the help of her wand. He could still remember her teaching him and Ron how to levitate inanimate objects. His smile faded a bit as he thought of his red headed friend. Thoughts of Malfoy and his prying questions came back to him. "You'll never believe who I got as a trainee today or who was asking questions about you."

She didn't look at him as she stirred what smelled like beef stew in the pot in front of her. "Who was it?"

"Malfoy."

That made her turn and face him, "Malfoy? As in Draco Malfoy?"

"The one and only," Harry nodded at her, going to the cabinets to pull out bowls and utensils for the stew. "He asked enough questions about you that you would have thought he was Rita Skeeter's apprentice."

"Why in Merlin's name would he be asking questions about me?"

Harry presented her with the bowls and she filled them, placing a slice of warm bread in the bowl on top of the stew. "I dunno, but it was disturbing. He was like a dog with a bone. I had forgotten how Slytherins act when they want information."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Still can't let go of the House rivalry can you? We'll have to be more careful from now on. Wouldn't want him getting any information he could use for nefarious means."

They sat down at the table and dug into their meal. After a short comfortable silence, Harry paused before taking another bite, "Hermione, what if we beat him to the punch on the whole 'getting information thing'?"

She ate a few more bites without looking at him before setting down her spoon and dabbing her mouth with a napkin. Hermione met his gaze with a frown, "We've talked about this Harry and besides, I highly doubt that whatever Malfoy is trying to get out of you has anything to do with you and I as a couple."

"I reiterate, you were the primary focus of his questions today. Your visit raised his weird Slytherin suspicions I guess."

"Well no more special lunches for you then." Hermione chuckled when the disappointment flashed across Harry's face, "I just don't want to upset anything or anyone. I thought you were happy with how things were."

"No one will be upset about this Hermione. Let's face it; the entire wizarding world would be ecstatic about it."

Hermione arched an eyebrow, "The _entire_ wizarding world?"

Harry rolled his eyes, "Ok, maybe not the entire wizarding world, but enough of it would be. I want to take you out on a proper date, Mione. One where we can go to The Leaky Cauldron instead of spiriting ourselves off to the muggle world. I'm so happy being with you that I want to share it with the world."

Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes, "I do too, Harry. I'm just… I guess… I'm scared. The Weasleys are the only family we have left! I don't want to lose them."

Harry stood and went to her side, pulling her up and taking her into his arms. Hermione buried her face in his chest and let loose a sob. Harry wrapped his arms around her a bit tighter and kissed the top of her head, rocking her back and forth gently. "Ron would want us to be happy Hermione. His whole life was about being happy. His whole family is like that."

Hermione's arms came up to wrap around his waist and hug him close. He kissed her head again before pulling her head up to look into her eyes, "We could tell them first, love. They definitely don't deserve to find out from some gossip column in the Daily Prophet."

"Just not right now. Soon though."

A bright smile nearly split Harry's face in two, "You promise?"

"Yes Harry, I promise."

He kissed her hard then, unable to contain his happiness. Her lips parted for him immediately and he took full advantage and plundered her mouth thoroughly. She leaned on him harder, her knees going weak from the kiss and Harry brought his arms to her waist to hold her to them. They parted for air, foreheads resting against each other, and Hermione giggled a little.

"I've got to make you happy more often."

Harry laughed in response, "I'm about to make you happy, witch. Off to the bedroom with you." His hands had slipped to her sides and his fingers had begun to stroke light patterns on her sides making her giggle even more. She squirmed out of his grip and bounded towards the bedroom stopping at the door to crook her finger at him invitingly. Harry smiled while he watched his witch disappear into their bedroom while he cleared the table quickly and switched off the lights around their flat. Just as he flicked the last light off there was a rap on the window. He peered out and saw a large eagle owl waiting to be let in. He opened the window and the bird swooped in, landed on the back of a chair and offered its leg to him. Harry untied the letter from its leg skeptically, the bird was large and strange and if Harry didn't know better he would say the owl was regarding him with distaste. He tossed it a treat, not wanting to get close to the great bird's beak and it hooted once before taking off and exiting through the window. Harry turned the letter over only to find a wax seal with a large letter 'M' wrapped with a snake and knew exactly who it was from. He rolled his eyes and tossed the letter down on the table; Malfoy could wait. He turned and followed the path his witch had taken, shedding his shirt as he went.

 **There you have it. Chapter three wrapped up with a nice neat little bow. I rewrote this chapter about six times before I was satisfied with it and also had about ten new ideas pop into my head about how I want this story to go. Don't be surprised to see the summary change, but I promise to keep to my pairings/threesome. Next chapter we learn a little more about Draco and his whole take on everything post war and dealing with this new probation.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! So I managed to get this chapter out to you much quicker than last time, yay me! I appreciate all the reviews, follows, and favorites, even if I wish there were more of them. So if it isn't obvious already, I'm not British, but am in fact American. I will do my best to get the slang terms right, but I make no promises. If I don't feel like I'm using something in the correct way, I won't include it. Likewise I'm going to apologize ahead of time for any American sayings that I throw in there. They're unintentional but will most likely happen and since I don't have a beta, they'll probably be overlooked and on that note all proofreading errors are mine. Even after reading through it four times, you can still miss things!**

 **I'm also excited that I've reached double digits with reviews on this story, so it must not be a total bomb. The 40 followers and 13 favorites make me happy as well!**

 **To Longtime Reader: No, this isn't a Harmony turned Dramione and it will be a legit HP/HG/DM. Give it some time to grow and develop.**

 **Disclaimer: still not mine.**

Saying that there was zero development in his plan was an understatement. Potter had been a complete bore for the past two weeks and neither he nor Granger had responded to his letter. Granger hadn't even shown her face since the first time Draco had seen her. Being an Auror was not nearly as exciting as the sales pitch either. So far it had been mostly filling out paperwork. There was so much repetitive paperwork to go along with each case. Thank Merlin he hadn't been placed back on filing duty though. His fingers still stung randomly from paper cuts long healed. Actual field training with Potter wasn't half bad. Potter knew his job and did it well; Dumbledore did know how to grow his soldiers after all. Draco had enjoyed the missions. Getting out into the field was better than the years in Azkaban, even if the prison was considered "new and improved" and dementor-free. Tortured souls still lingered and made the stay there extremely unpleasant and haunting. His wand was limited to defensive spells only, per Ministry orders, but there hadn't been much use for any other kind of spell. Potter ran his Aurors like a well-trained quidditch team, quick and efficient. Tonight however was a special night.

Tonight was the first night Draco had plans to do something other than wallow in his own misery in the Ministry monitored housing. It was Friday and all the Aurors had plans to go to a pub for a few rounds. Potter had begrudgingly extended him an invitation because Draco had been standing right next to him when the other Aurors asked Harry to come. Never mind that the invitation wasn't willingly given, Draco was just looking forward to a night out of the four walls that was his room. He had finished his paperwork an hour ago and if he tried to organize his desk anymore, he might as well turn into an uptight transfiguration teacher. His foot ceased its incessant tapping when he heard a door down the hall finally open. The majority of the other Aurors had already left and all the Senior Aurors had headed out early. Potter emerged from the hallway looking tired as he pushed his glasses back up on his nose. His green eyes settled on Draco and he sighed when he realized he had forgotten about tonight.

"You didn't have to wait, Malfoy. You should have just gone with everyone else. I hadn't actually planned on showing up at this thing."

Draco's excitement drained out of him at once as he slumped down in his chair, "I was invited by you and let's face it, no one else would tolerate my presence without you there. It was clear when they asked you in front of me that they didn't want me there. Besides, I'm not allowed out unaccompanied after work hours."

Harry shrugged, "Well, I don't know what to tell you Malfoy, I hadn't planned on going."

Draco scoffed at him, "Come on Potter, I haven't had any fun in ages. Don't take this away from me. One hour, that's all I ask. If I have to go sit in my room one more night, I'm going to stab my eyes out. Did you know they won't let me repaint the walls in my room? They're pink, Potter, a brownish pink that makes me gag and remember Umbridge's horrible office."

Harry sighed again debating in his head just how much he wanted to avoid the outing.

"Pink walls, Potter."

"Fine, just this once. One time." He held up a finger for emphasis and headed out the door to the lift. Draco followed him to the fireplaces and stepped into it as Harry grabbed the powder and stood next to him. The green flames roared to life as Harry shouted "The Lion's Den!" and they spiraled to their destination.

They landed in the pub's fireplace with little welcome. Most of the patrons were already sloshed, but a few closest to the fireplace raised their glasses in greeting. Any attempt at questioning Harry about the choice of bar went out the window as the sound of a raucous pub song hit Draco like a wall when they stepped from inside the fireplace. Draco glanced around, observing the décor with more than mild distaste. Red and gold banners draped from wall to wall of the bar, extending over the patrons. Quidditch memorabilia was scattered about along with quite a few Gryffindor themed banners including but not limited to the house's crest of a lion rampant and pennants that read "Go! Go! Gryffindor!". Even the wallpaper was a scarlet and gold design that seemed to be charmed to have lions running throughout it. The golden toned wood that was featured prominently around the bar gave the whole room a glowing warm feeling. Draco felt like gagging, but remembered why he came here. Liquor was the goal and he was certain a few rounds of fire whiskey would make the room and company much more tolerable.

Harry was making his way through the crowd, people began slapping him on the back as he went and they realized just who was pushing past them. Draco followed closely, not ready to get separated in this giant homage to Gryffindor that was likely packed with nearly 100 people who would consider him their mortal enemy. Proving his theory, Draco began to feel even more out of place as he tried to ignore the whispers that broke out behind him. He made his sole focus the shiny wood bar that stood between him and the wonderful libations behind it. Potter made it to the bar, taking an empty barstool and motioning for the barkeep. Draco plopped down ton to the stool next to him that had luckily been available, wishing that he had thought to disguise his identifiable hair. He cringed when an unexpected roar came from the direction of the fireplace and turned to see what must have been a charmed lion's head roaring before returning to normal. A loud cheer went up from the crowd and all around the room glasses were clinked and drinks were downed. Draco felt even more outnumbered as he was obviously the only one in attendance that would have been a Slytherin. He breathed out a sigh of relief as the bartender finally reached them.

"Well if it isn't Harry Potter, finally gracing us with his presence!"

Harry grinned at his former classmate, "Hey Seamus. A couple of shots of fire whiskey for us." He motioned to Draco as an afterthought.

Seamus' eyes narrowed briefly, flicking to Draco before returning to Harry. "He's not imperioused you or anything has he, Harry?"

Harry shook his head, "Just the drinks Seamus; no need for an intervention tonight."

Seamus glanced back at Draco before leaning in to whisper to Harry, "I can get rid of him if you want Harry. I've invented this new type of fire whiskey that explodes if it's not drunk fast enough. Just a small explosion, enough to take off his pompous pureblood eyebrows. I reckon it'd be enough to get him to leave."

"I can hear you Finnegan. Glad to know you haven't lost your talent for blowing things up."

Seamus glared at Draco, "Glad to know you're still the same arsehole from school, Malfoy. Killed anyone recently?"

Draco's eyes narrowed and he stood quickly, almost knocking over his stool. "Thanks for the invite Potter, but I think I'll be going. It would seem not all of us have grown up."

He turned to leave only to have Harry grab his left forearm. The words on the tip of Harry's tongue died as Draco crumpled inward, yanking his arm from Harry and falling to his knees. He cradled his arm to his stomach, curling into a ball in the middle of the pub. Harry was off his seat in an instant and crouching next to him asking questions that fell on deaf ears. Draco couldn't hear anything over the ringing in his ears as his arm burned and the cursed tattoo roiled angrily under his skin. His instinct was to claw at it, to attempt to rip the blackened bit of skin from his own body. His mind pulled from the pain enough to remember that he needed to remain still and refrain from touching it. He waited until the ringing in his ears had dulled, drawing in ragged breaths and trying to focus on anything other than his arm. His surroundings became a little clearer.

"…an you hear me? Malfoy, can you hear me?" Harry refrained from touching him, unsure of what had set him off, but assessed him with a serious expression.

"Yes," he rasped out, still finding breathing difficult as pain raced up his arm. The urge to carve off the tattoo grew stronger as he grew nauseous from the pain. "I need to leave."

"What happened to you? I tried to stop you and you just fell over."

"Just take me to the housing complex."

"It was the Dark Mark wasn't it?" There was no judgement in Harry's eyes when Draco's snapped up to look at him, just observation.

Draco glared at him, "It's none of your business, Potter," he spat, "just get me out of here."

Harry rocked back on his heels, "I know someone who might be able to help. You're not the first person we've come across that has a cursed mark that causes them pain, remember?" He pointed to his forehead where the faded lightning bolt scar sat beneath his hairline. "I've seen what cursed marks can drive someone to do, so you're coming with me. Sorry Seamus, maybe next time."

Harry waved briefly at his friend and grabbed Draco's right arm, hauling it over his shoulder. Draco sagged against him as his muscles protested at being stretched after being clenched in pain. The moment before they left Draco had noticed that the entire place had gone completely silent and he knew he wouldn't be visiting that pub ever again. Merlin knew the gossip that was about to be spread about him. Bloody Gryffindor gossips. He felt a tug at his belly button as Harry apparated them out of the pub. They landed in a living room, Harry conjuring a bucket immediately and shoving it under Draco's chin just in time for him to lose his cookies in it.

"Harry?" Draco heard a feminine voice and promptly passed out from the combination of the pain in his arm and the side effects of unexpected and poorly timed side-along apparition.

Hermione heard the pop of apparition and promptly left her work station, wand in hand. Harry never apparated back from work; he always flooed home. Her wand at the ready, she stepped into the hallway, "Harry?" she emerged from the hallway in time to see Malfoy falling back onto the couch. Her boyfriend stood next to him, holding a bucket that he promptly vanished before turning to her.

"You said you needed a test subject for your newest pain potion right?" He grinned at her while motioning to the passed out blonde.

Hermione frowned at him, "So you brought Malfoy here? Why the hell did he just pass out?"

"Both valid questions. How about you lower the wand and we take this discussion to another room. He's going to need that potion when he wakes up. I think Voldemort spelled his Dark Mark to attack the wearer when it's touched. I grabbed his arm and he practically had a seizure at the Den."

"Oh that was a brilliant place to take him. I'm sure Seamus was less than accommodating."

Harry shrugged, "We weren't there long before it happened. Can you help him?"

Hermione nodded, "Assuming he agrees to take the potion I think I can help him. He'll still be incapacitated for a couple days, but I think my potion will do the trick. Let's go get everything ready. Who knows how long he'll be out."

Sighing with relief Harry pulled her close, "I knew you could help. Ever the brilliant witch aren't you love?"

Hermione's arms circled his waist, "Of course. And how was my brave wizard's day?"

Harry let out a small groan, "Better now that I'm home." He pulled her closer only to have her spin out of his arms and sprint down the hall, her hair flowing behind her and giggling all the way. A small growl rumbled in his chest as he made to follow her. Glancing at Draco one more time, Harry went down the hallway in pursuit of his witch.

Draco's eyes slowly opened when he heard a door slam. If he had any doubts still about the relationship that the two Gryffindors were attempting to hide, he didn't now. Maybe if his arm didn't still need to be cut off, he would care more. Until that happened, Draco resigned himself to falling back into the appealing blackness that was sleep.

 **There you have it! Everything really starts to get interesting next chapter, as things can only be interesting when there are two Gryffindors and a Slytherin. Review, follow, favorite! Until next time lovelies!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to everyone who followed, favorited and reviewed! I love reading your reactions and every notification I get for this story just makes my day!**

 **With no more ado, I give you chapter five!**

For months Hermione had been working on a potion to negate the pain a person felt from a cursed mark. Her own arm gave her fits at random, Bellatrix's cursed blade had done its job, with many of those fits leading to her being bed ridden for days afterwards. Normal pain potions dulled the effects afterwards, but Hermione could tell it was wearing on her nerve endings. A modified pain potion with more longevity combined with a special healing potion designed to slowly and steadily heal the mark by making the dark magic dissipate. The main two problems she kept running into was that every single mark required a different spell said over the potion and the main healing ingredient, phoenix tears, was nearly impossible to come by and ridiculously expensive. If only Fawkes hadn't disappeared after Dumbledore had died.

All lamenting aside, her only batch of the potion contained six doses, enough to heal three people. As much as she wanted to use two of the vials on herself, she felt that her pain could wait while she helped just a few other people touched by Voldemort's evil. Malfoy, however, was not one of those people she had planned on helping. Yes, her testimony that it hadn't been his choice to become a death eater and that his mother was the only reason he had chosen Voldemort's side during the war.

Sighing to herself she pulled two vials of the purple tinted potion from her storeroom. She placed the vials on her work bench before exiting her office. Harry was probably still asleep, since this was his one day to sleep in. They had slept in separate rooms for the first time in years, not being able to risk anything with Malfoy just down the hall, and if Harry had the same night she did then he needed the sleep. She made her way to the kitchen and set to boiling some water for her morning oatmeal. She poked her head out of the kitchen to check on her uninvited house guest. A light snore was coming from the couch letting her know he was still asleep as well. He must be an active sleeper as well, because he had flipped on the couch, with his head now pointing away from the dining area and a leg was thrown over the back of the couch. Her water boiled, so she quickly added it to the bowl, covering the mixture to let it steamed. She turned towards Malfoy again, glaring at his sleeping form. Even if she testified for him, she still loathed him. Hermione harrumphed and turned away, pulling grape jam from the fridge and grabbing a spoon and her bowl before heading to the table.

She took a seat facing him, not trusting having him at her back. Spooning a scoop of jam into her oatmeal, she grinned mischievously before stirring it into the oatmeal. Scooping out a healthy amount of oatmeal, she took aim and launched the blob across the room. The breakfast projectile hit its mark, slapping Malfoy's cheek and splattering across his face. Hermione couldn't contain her laughter as Malfoy woke up at the attack and promptly fell off the couch as he tried to ascertain what he was being attacked with. He sputtered as he sat up, spewing bits of oats everywhere as his eyes found the laughing witch.

Hermione struggled to regain her composure, wiping tears from her eyes as he glared at her, "Morning sunshine." She gasped while trying to catch her breath.

Draco attempted to hold his glare, but it quickly turned into a pained grimace as his muscles protested his attempt to stand. He settled with just getting his arse back on the couch before collapsing down with a groan. He reached up a hand to wipe the offending food off his face, flicking his wrist in an attempt to send some back at her. He groaned again and gave up attempting to move. Hermione watched him struggle and sighed. She ate a few more bites of her food and pushed it aside. She moved from her chair at the table to the recliner that sat next to the couch Malfoy occupied. She took a moment to notice how out of place the Malfoy heir looked in the apartment. The warm tan walls and dark brown leather furniture with light blue throw pillows didn't fit the image of the blonde Slytherin. Grays, blacks and greens of course came to mind instead. Hermione cleared her throat, waiting for Malfoy to give her his attention.

Draco's head had flopped back onto the back of the couch, his eyes closed. At her cough he opened one eye to look at her before closing it again. "Take a picture, Granger, it'll last longer."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "That would imply you're pleasant to look at, Malfoy, which is hardly the case. I need your attention to explain what it is." His lack of response prompted her to snap her fingers at him, "Malfoy! Hey wake up!"

"Snap your fingers at me again and I'll snap them from your hand." He opened his eyes and glared at her.

"Wooo, I'm so scared, Ferret." She wiggled her splayed fingers mockingly. "Now this potion isn't Ministry approved yet, in fact you'll be the first person to try it at all."

"What would make you think I want to be your test subject?"

She continued, ignoring his protests, "It is a pain potion combined with phoenix tears to slowly remove the dark magic and mark along with it. There will be pain, dark magic can't be undone without pain. You will be unable to leave for the next three to five days and you would have to agree to be closely monitored by me for the duration of that time. Might do you some good in order to reintegrate with society to spend time with the people you hate. You know, finally make you grow as a person."

"And I'm just supposed to trust something you made?" Draco scoffed.

"No one is going to force you, Malfoy, however if you choose to refuse my help now then you may not be able to have access to this for years."

Draco narrowed his eyes at her, "And why would you give this miracle potion to me?"

Hermione shrugged, "Harry asked me to help and this is me helping. It's also me getting access to a free test subject for a potion that might help the greater good, which I figured might rankle you a bit."

He scowled at her, "So where is that boyfriend of your's Granger? You wear him out last night?" He chuckled, using the laugh to hide the grimace as he shifted to get more comfortable. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back not at all ready to greet the day, even if it meant riling up Gryffindors.

Hermione stared at him passively, his barbs rolling off of her, "Fine. If you don't want my help then it's no skin off my nose. In fact it just leaves a dose for someone who deserves it. You may leave." She rose with her dismissive words and cleared the table with a wave of her hand. Dishes went soaring to the sink and the chair scooted itself under the table on its own. She disappeared down the hallway and slammed her door shut, abruptly waking the wizard in the room across the hall.

Again Draco wished he could bring himself to care about anything happening around him other than the pain. He was smack dab in the middle of the juiciest gossip and blackmail material, yet he found he really couldn't give two shits about any of it. Granger had reacted dully towards his digging questions, effectively shutting down the conversation as soon as he asked. What he did give a shit about, however, was the promise of relief from the constant pain he experienced. He glared at his arm, cursing his father and the dark wizard who ruined his life. He forced his head up and looked around the flat. One opening lead to the kitchen, one door that he assumed was the entrance to the flat, and then a hallway. Option number three it was then. Steeling himself, he pushed to his feet and slowly made his way around the couch and down the hallway. Trying the first door on the left, he took advantage of his accidental discovery and relieved himself before washing his face. He looked terrible, he observed, turning his head this way and that as he noted the dark circles under his eyes and mussed hair. He wet his hands and ran them over his hair, trying to smooth it down. His efforts were wasted though and he concluded that Potter's forever messy hair must be contagious and staying here the night had tainted it. He needed to get home and shower to off the noble Gryffindor germs.

He left and continued his search. The door straight across the hall proved successful when he pushed the door open and found a working potions lab. Various cauldrons steamed on the work bench, each with ingredients in front of them for later addition. He noted curiously that there seemed to be a floating hour glass above each cauldron. He made his way over to the bench, leaning heavily on it with one hand as he reached to touch the levitating timepiece. He was about six inches away from touching it when the hourglass retreated from his hand. He frowned and attempted to grab it, but it flew away from his again. He gave up his attempt, begrudgingly admitting to himself that it was a clever bit of magic.

Draco's eyes fell on a large cupboard next to the workbench and he decided to start searching for the potion there. He pushed off the workbench and headed over to the cupboard. He was so focused on his goal that he failed to notice the large cat that chose to zoom in front of causing him to trip and catch himself on the storage cupboard. He cursed under his breath as the cabinet rocked backwards and hit the wall with a thud. He froze, expecting to hear someone stomping into the room to throw him out. He was met with silence from the next rooms, but strained to hear what he thought was breaking glass. Draco tugged the door open with a wince, expecting to see some broken ampules, and saw a deep closet that should not have fit inside the cupboard. The walls were lined with shelves which contained hundreds of bottled potions; potions that were currently rolling off the shelves and falling to the floor. He stuck his head in the cabinet looking for the potion he wanted, ignoring the mist that began to rise as the potions began to mingle on the floor.

After being awoken by a slamming door, Harry laid in his bed pondering his current situation. His once enemy turned apprentice was more than likely doing a smashing job of pissing off his secret girlfriend. On one hand, Harry was ready to accept that Malfoy might find out about them because he was really tired of hiding. On the other hand, he had yet to find out just how it went this morning, but judging by the wake-up call he had just received, he didn't think that it had gone well. He had really hoped that Malfoy would swallow his pride for once and accept Hermione's help so that she could finally test her potion. Harry heard a thud against the wall between his room and the potions lab and rolled out of bed, thinking that Crookshanks must be mucking about in there again. He reached the doorway at the same moment that Hermione opened her door. Harry was about to tell her he would take care of it when they both heard a mumbled "shit" from the room in question.

Harry's face pinched with worry, "Did you leave that door open Hermione?"

She shook her head and sprinted down the hall. Harry followed hot on her heels, grabbing the doorframe to swing himself into the room. He heard the glass breaking then and saw Malfoy's back, as his head was stuck deep in the charmed cupboard. Hermione's undetectable extension charm allowed her to keep a vast array of potions in there and it sounded like they were all falling.

"Malfoy!" Harry shouted.

Draco yanked his head out and banged it on the top of the cupboard. He grabbed his head and backed away from the offending furniture and right into the workbench, knocking over the row of cauldrons like a set of dominos. Hermione's expression turned panicked when a red haze wafted from the cupboard and met with the pink mist that was now hovering over the mess of spilled potions.

"Everyone clear the room!" She yelled as she turned to grab Harry's hand to leave. Her warning came too late, however, as Harry reached out towards her outstretched hand only to be knocked back by a blast of magic. The two mists swirled together and had exploded outward. His head hit the wall and his vision grew spotty when he heard his name being called. He tried to answer, but the darkness overtook him and he lost consciousness.

 **There you have it! Our plot has officially begun and have no fear as the smut will be back in the next chapter! Read, review, follow and favorite please!**


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